Combination chair and folding bed



Nov. 10, 1959 PQKORNY, JR 2,911,655

COMBINATION CHAIR AND FOLDING BED Filed March 11, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 c INVENTOR. lav/o Pwwww; A:

BY n W W Nov. 10, 1959 L. POKORNY, JR 2,911,655

COMBINATION CHAIR AND FOLDING BED BYW ' Nov. 10, 1959 L. POKORNY, JR

COMBINATION CHAIR AND FOLDING BED 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 11, 1957 INVENTOR. lows PW W R. BY a Afro/ fr United States Patent CONIBINATION CHAIR AND FOLDING BED Louis Pokorny, Jr., Ronkonkoma, N.Y., assignor of onethird to Louis Pokorny, Ronkonkoma, and one-third to John M. Pokorny, Bellport, NY.

Application March 11, 1957, Serial No. 645,178

"1'1 Claims. (Cl. 5-59)" Patented Nov. 10, 1959 ice the upper and the base are in hingedly connected relation, the upper being adapted to swing between a lowered position and a rearwardly raised position. The base consists essentially of a front, a back, and spaced upright sides, and the forwardly unfoldable bed-frame is housed between and pivotally supported by these sides. The upper comprises a back, a seat, and arms. Each of the arms includes a wall extending upwardly from the corresponding side edge of the seat, and an outwardly directed top wall. This arrangement of parts defines compartments or spaces beneath the arms of the chair, extending upwardly to a' height greater than the level of the chair seat itself, for concealing and accommodating the linkage mechanisms of the bed-frame. i

It is a general objective of the invention to provide the foregoing advantages and features, among others, in a chair frame design that lends itself readily to conventional the'device, in its chair-defining'condition, so closely re- I sembles a living room chair'of conventional character that the presence in the structure of mechanism making it possible to adjust it into a bed, is completely indiscernible to anordinary observer; A further and coordinate-object of the'invention is to achieve this desirable result without sacrifice of comfort and roominess when theldevice is adjusted into its bed-defining condition.

Itisa feature of the invention, with the foregoing objectives in view, to provide a construction in which the' width and depth of the chair seat can be designed I and chosen completely withoutdependence upon the bed dimensions. For example, the seat may have the conven tional and comfortable width of approximately 23 inches, whereas ordinary chair-bed constructions, dependent in large-measure upon the desired width of the bed, have Seats: more than inches wide. This is undesirable from a styling standpoint, and usually earmarks the article in-conventionalmanner, and wherein the foldedv bed frame remains completely concealed from view even when such cushion is lifted. y

A chair-bed constructed in accordance with this invention includes a forwardly unfoldable bed-frame consistupholstering practices, and which is staunch and rugged, economical from amanufacturing standpoint, and attractive i'n appearance.

' The foregoing objects and advantages, and such other advantages as may hereinafter appear or be pointed out, may be achieved in the manner illustratively exemplified in the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred embodinient of the invention is depicted. In the drawings Figfl is a perspective View of a chair-bed of the present character, when serving as a chair;

, in Fig. 5;

Fig. 2 is a side view showing, in dotted lines, the internal arrangement of certain of the mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a view in the same direction as Fig. 2, show- 7 ing the upper part of the chair frame swung back, and

the bed-frame extended; v Fig. 4 is a front view on an enlarged scale, with parts broken away'and shown in section substantially along the line 4 4 of Fig. 2; V Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view substantially along the line 5+5 of Fig. 4, 'with the bed-frame and associated parts omitted;

. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale, of

the hinge connection between thebase and upper shown Fig. 7 is an exploded view of the two basic the chair frame; and j, Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the chair frame with the pa e:

upper in partially thrown-back relation to the base, and

with all upholstery omitted to reveal the skeleton of the frame pieces.

Referring first to Fig. 7, the chair base e'onsistsof a front 10,' a back 11, and upstanding sides 12 and 13. The skeleton may be composed of wood or of any other suitable or desired material. The frontvltl consists of mg of hingedly connected sections that can be adjusted between-anextended relationship defining a bed, and a folded or compacted relationship. Linkage mechanisms are articulated to these sections along the sides of the frame. An important feature of the improved construction lies in arranging the parts in such a way that when the bed-frame is folded 'the linkage-mechanisms will lie laterally beyond the sides of. the chair seat. This frees the designer from limitations that'w'ould otherwise exist, if the linkage mechanisms, as well as the bed-frame itself, were necessarily confined, in the folded condition of the device, to a location. below the level of the chair seat.

Moreover, the chair seat is more comfortable, since it is only the folded mattress of the bed that lies directly beneath it. l 1 r Theimproved construction consists essentially of a base and anuppenconjointly defining a chair frameadapted to house and support the foldable bed-frame in the contemplated manner, the base and upper ,beingreadily separable to expose the bed-frame when the device is totbe. adjustediintothe bed-defining condition. Preferably a single panel lower than the sides and back and present-1 ing an upwardly-facing edge 14. Each of the sidesrn'ay be formed of upper and lower railsgasshown, joined at the up front and back to suitable upright members. Similarly, the back 11 may be composed of upper and lower rails. Chair legs 15 of any desired character maybe aflixedtothe corners of the base. 7 The frame of the upper is built to define the skeleton ofa back, a seat, arms, and a front panel. As in the case of the base, the. parts may be composed of wood.

or any other desired material. In the construction shown,

the back is formed of inclined side rails 16, a lower crosspiece 17, a top crosspiece 18,- and an intermediate crosspiece 19, the latter extending laterally beyond the elements 16 and being joined to the top .wallsf'Zl) of the armstructures.

Extending-downwardly frornthe outer edge of each,

top wall 20. is a side panel.2 1. Eachof the panels '21. has a downwardly-directed edgej 22 shaped to cooperate in abutting relation to the upwardly facing edge, 2316f the corresponding side of the base.

forwardly-extending Extending forwardly from the lower elements 16 are panels or elements 24 joining at their front ends with the upstanding lateral parts 25 of a front board, or panel 26. Attention is directed to the circumstance that the upper edge 27 of the front board 26 lies substantially in the plane ;of the lower edges of the elements 24. Also, it should be observed that each of the elements 24 lies in. the vertical plane of the corre sponding inner-facing edge of the corresponding top wall 2 0.

It is to be understood that the skeleton structures shown in Fig. 7 are intended to 'be covered with fabric or otherwise upholstered in conventional fashion. Thus, in the finished chair, the sides of the base present the solid unbroken side surfaces best shown in Fig. 1, the back of the chair presents an unbroken front surface 28, and the front panel parts 25, 26 of the upper may be covered or otherwise embellished. In the chair shown in Fig. 1, false seams or creases are produced along the lines designated 29 to soften the severity of the straight lines along which the parts 25, 26 are constructed.

Of primary importance in connection with this invention is the fact that the upper is v provided with a seat 30 (Fig. 4) composed of a web of fabric or other appropriate material secured at its side edges to the lower edges of the elements 24, secured at its rear edge to the top surface of the crosspiece 17, and secured at its front edge to the upper edge 27 of the front panel '26. The region of attachment along the edge 27 may be provided with a padding or beading of conventional character, known in the upholstering art, as indicated in Fig. 5 at 31.

It should also be borne in mind that a web of fabric or other appropriate material extends upwardly from each side edge of the seat 30 to define the inner wall of the corresponding arm. This web of material, will be appropriately secured to the inward face of the board or panel 24, and to the inner edge of the top wall 20. In practice it may be desirable to extend this web across the upper surface of each top wall 20 and thence downwardly along the outer face of the outer panel 21.

It has been pointed out thatflwhen the upper and the base are together in chair-defining relationship, the

lower edge 22 of each side panel 21 will cooperate with and preferably abut against .the corresponding upper edge 23 of each of the sides 12, 13 of the base. Similarly, the lower edge of the front panel 26 of the upper will ends of the back i cooperate with and abut against the upwardly-facing,"

edge 14 of the front board or panel 10 of the base.

To complete the chair assmebly, a separate cushion 32 is fitted in snug disposition upon the seat 30 and between the arms of the chair, as best indicated'in Fig. 1, and in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 4. e

The base and the upper are preferably hinged to each other, to permit swinging movement of the upper from the lowered position shown in Fig. 2 tolthe fully raised position shown in Fig. 3. The hinge mechanism may be of any appropriate character, and in the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, a fixed bar or bracket 33 is secured to the ,inner face of each panel 21,

near its rear end, a fixed bar or bracket 34 is similarly secured to the inner face of the corresponding side of the base, at the rear of the latter, and a pair of links 35 and 36 are caused to extend between the brackets 33, 34. The links 35, 36 are deliberately made of unequal length, as shown, and they are arranged in a generally side-by-side disposition, each having one end pivoted to the fixed bar or bracket 33 and the other end pivoted ently to be described in greater detail, the link 36 is provided with a laterally-projecting part or offset 37.

It is also desirable that the fixed bar 34 have an angled rear end 38 (see Fig. 6) against which the link 35 will rest when the upper is fully thrown back as shown in Fig. 3. This engagement between the link 35 and the angled end 38 is metal-to-metal, and thus affords not only a definite limit for the swinging movement of the upper, but also serves to prevent undesirable rubbing contact between the link 35 and the adjacent upholstery.

A hinging mechanism of the character described is preferably associated with each of the sides of the base, and with both of the side panels 21 of the upper. However, it will be understood that under certain circumstances a single hinging mechanism might be sufiicient, and it will be also readily appreciated that hinging arrangements of other types may be resorted to.

The foldable bed-frame is housed between and pivotally supported by the upstanding sides 12, 13 of the base. Thus, the desired width of this frame, and of the bed defined by it, is governed by the spacing between the sides 12, 13, and this is appreciably greater than the spacing between the upstanding inner walls of the chair arms, i.e., the width of the seat 30. Accordingly, the seat 30 and the cushion 32 may be of the conventional and comfortable 23 inch 'width, whereas the foldable bed-frame may be of greater width, for example up to 30 inches or more.

The bed-frame may be of any desired or appropriate character, and in the preferred construction'it assumes the form of hingedly connected sections as best indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. A vertical section 40 has a horizontal part 41 pivoted at 42 to a fixed bracket 43. (It will be understood that there are two such brackets, one secured to each of the upstanding sides 12, 13 of the base, and that other elements and parts of the bed-frame will be similarly duplicated at each side, but for the sake of simplicity the fed-frame elements will be described singly.)

The rear section 40 is pivotally connected at 44 to a lower horizontal section 45, and the latter is in turn pivotally connected at 46 to a front vertical section 47.

At 48 the latter section is pivoted to an upper horizontal section 49. When the bed is extended the sections 40, 45, 47 and 49 lie in horizontal alignment as indicated in Fig. 3. The frame is provided with a mattress S0, and when the parts are folded the mattress is correspondingly folded and lies within the confines of the frame sections, i.e., between the lower and upper horizontal sections 45, 49. In known fashion this mattress is associated 'With a spring indicated at 51 in Fig. 8. The seat 30 of the chair comes down into direct contact with this mattress and spring when the bed-frame is folded and the device is to be used as a chair.

Linkage mechanisms arranged at the sides of the bedframe control the opening and closing of the frame sections. It is not necessary to describe these linkages in detail, and it is suflicient to point out (Fig. 3) that the mechanisms include a supporting leg 52 that is brought into the operative position shown when the bed is set up. Also, an elevator arm 53 is pivoted to the fixed pivot axis 54, and with. the aid of a spring 55 connected at the end 56 to a fixed part of the base and at the end 57 to the lower end of the elevator arm 53, the opening and closing of the bed-frame is facilitated.

Of particular significance in connection with the features of this invention is the provision on the part 41 of the rear vertical section 40 of an extension arm 58 which serves as a restraining means operable during the unfolding of the bed-frame to prevent lowering movement of the upper after it has been raised to the position shown in Fig. 3. More particularly, it is to be observed that the arm 58 swings into a position in front of the ofiset'37 on the hinge link 36, thus serving as a hingeblocking element. That is to say, with the parts in the position; of Fig. 3, and with the restraining arm 58 poginadvertent falling of the upper is effectively prevented.

From the description given, it will be obvious that when thedevice is in the condition shown in Fig. 1, a charr of attractive appearance and conventional dimensions and contours is provided. Even when the .separate cushion 32 is lifted, the presence beneath the seat 30 of a foldable bed-mechanism is undetectable. Moreover, 'the'linkagemechanisms'are effectively concealed within the spaces beneath the hollow arms of the chair, and there is no danger that any parts of these mechanisms will be encountered during the use of the device as a chair. Thus the comfort of the user of the chair is assured.

The manner of use of the device when it is to be adjusted into bed-defining condition has already been described. It should be observed that the underside of the seat 30 may, if desired, be treated ornamentally and serve as an attractive headboard for the bed.

It is to be understood that in many respects the details herein described and illustrated may be modified by those skilled in the art without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a chair-bed, a chair frame comprising a base and an upper, the base comprising a front and back and spaced upright sides, the upper comprising a back and seat and arms, said seat having a width appreciably less than the spacing between the sides of the base, the back and sides of the base extending well above the level of said seat, a forwardly unfoldable bed frame wider than said seat and housed between the sides of said base below the level of said seat, means pivotally supporting said bed frame solely upon said sides of the base, said means including rear frame supporting pivots above the level of the seat, each of said arms comprising a wall extending upwardly from the corresponding side edge of said seat and an outwardly directed top wall, said arms and the sides of the base being cooperatively contoured to enclose spaces beneath the top walls of said arms, said spaces accommodating said rear frame supporting pivots, and means hinging the upper to the base along an axis substantially coincident with the top edge of the back of the base, to allow swinging ofthe upper between a lowered position in which said seat overlies the fully folded bed frame and a rearwardly raised position in which said bed frame is exposed.

2. In a chair-bed, the combination with the elements defined in claim 1, of means operable by said bed frame during the unfolding thereof for restraining said hinging means to prevent lowering movement of said upper.

3. In a chair-bed, the combination with the elements defined in claim 1, of means operable by said bed frame during the unfolding thereof for restraining said hinging means to prevent lowering movement of said upper, said restraining means comprising .an arm carried by said frame and movable into and out of a hinge blocking position as the bed frame is unfolded and re-folded.

4. In a chair-bed, the elements defined in claim 1, in which each of said arms has a side panel extending downwardly from the outer edge of its top wall, and a front wall; the sides of the base having top edges conforming to and abutting with the corresponding edges of the side panels of said arms when the upper is in lowered position.

5. In a chair-bed, the elements defined in claim 1, in which each of said arms has a side panel extending downwardly from the outer edge of its top wall, each side of said base having a top edge conforming to and abuttingwith the lower edge of the side panel of the adjacent arm; said hinging means being secured to at least-one set of saidabutting edges and comprising a pair of links of unequal lengths arranged one beside the oth'enpeaeh link having one end pivoted to the side .of

said base and the opposite end pivoted .to the side panel .ofsaidar'm.

6. In a chair-bed,the elements defined in claim-1, sad hinging means lying within said spaces and articulating the upper to the sides ofthebase.

7. In a chair-bed, the elements defined in claim 1, said hinging..means lying within said spaces .and articulating the npper to'the sides of the'b'a'seQsaid hingingmeans comprising a pair of links of unequal lengths arranged one beside the other, each link having one end pivoted to the side of said base and the opposite end pivoted to the upper.

8. In a chair-bed, the elements defined in claim 1, said bed frame comprising four hingedly connected sections the rearmost of which is secured at its rear end to said rear frame supporting pivots, said rearmost section being in a vertical disposition adjacent to the back of the base when the frame is in its fully folded condition.

9. In a chair-bed, a chair frame comprising a base and an upper, the base comprising a front board and spaced upright sides, the upper comprising a back, a seat extending forwardly from the lower edge of said back, a

front panel extending downwardly from the front edge,

of said seat, and arms, each arm comprising a wall extending upwardly from the corresponding side edge of the seat, a top Wall, a side panel extending downward from the outer edge of said top wall, and a front wall forming a lateral upward extension of said front panel; said sides of the base having top edges lying above the level of the seat; a foldable bed framewider than said seat and housed between and pivotally supported in its entirety by the sides of said base, said bed frame in its fully folded condition lying beneath said seat and behind said front board and front panel; and means hinging the upper to the base adjacent to the rear of the latter to allow swinging movement of the upperbetween a lowered position concealing said fully folded bed frame and a rearwardly raised position exposing said frame, said front board and panel being in abutment, and each side panel being in abutment with the corresponding top edge of the side of the base, when the upper is in the lowered chair-defining position.

10. In a chair-bed, a chair frame comprising a base and an upper, the base comprising a front and back and sides of the base enclosing spaces beneath the top walls ofsaid arms, means hinging the upper unit to the base unit along an axis substantially coincident with the top edge of the back of the base, said hinging means comprising a pair of links of unequal lengths arranged one beside the other within one of said spaces with each link pivoted at one end to the side of the base and at the other end to said upper unit, a forwardly unfoldable bed frame lying in its fully folded condition between the sides of the base and below the level of said seat, means pivotally supporting said bed frame solely upon the sides of said base, and means carried by said bed frame and extending into said space and movable during the unfolding of the bed frame into a position restraining the move- -ments of said links, whereby lowering movement of the prise's'four ihingedly connected sections the rearmost of which' is secured at its rear end to said pivbts and lies in a vertical disposition adjacent 10 the back of the base 1 when the frame is in its fully folded condition, said restraining means being an arm carried by said rear nlost s'ection. 4 i

References Cited inthe'file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS I 1,231,223. Voelz June 26, 1917 FOREIGN PATENTS 

